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Brown threatens to tie suspect in bomb threats to rival Hans miller

Onslow County Sheriff and incumbent Ed Brown talks to area residents of Swansboro during a meet and great at the Hampton Inn in Swansboro recently.

John Sudbrink/The Daily News

By Michael Todd - Daily News Staff

Published: Thursday, April 17, 2014 at 08:51 AM.

Editor's note: The recording of the conversation is available at the bottom of this article or by clicking here.

Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown has threatened to tie his opponent in the May 6 Republican primary to the suspect in a series of bomb threats in the area.

For at least a week, Brown has dropped hints that there is a connection between challenger Hans Miller and Gerald Jackson, an 18-year-old Jacksonville man now in the Onslow County Jail facing 19 charges tied to false bomb threats against area schools, businesses and hospitals.

The allegation involving Miller became more public at a Republican Women’s candidate forum on Tuesday night, when Miller confirmed that he had an audio recording of an April 11 conversation between himself and Brown in which the accusation was discussed.

At the forum and in an interview Thursday, Miller denied any involvement with Jackson, saying he does not know the suspect. He said the accusations are “absolutely untrue.”

In the recorded conversation with Miller, Brown indicated that Miller and his campaign were implicated in statements made by Jackson to the sheriff’s investigators. In that conversation, the sheriff repeatedly compares the accusation against Miller to accusations made against Brown on a local radio talk show. “You’ve made your point, and I’ll make my point,” Brown said.

Brown has been vague about whether he believes the connection is to Miller personally or to someone in Miller’s campaign.

The sheriff also has not been consistent on whether he believes there was direct contact with Jackson by Miller or by people involved in Miller’s campaign or whether issues raised in the ongoing sheriff’s race were motivation for the threats.

While Brown has indicated for several days that there is an active investigation of Miller or his campaign, on Wednesday afternoon he seemed to back off such a probe.

“There has not been an investigation involving Miller,” he said. “I figured this would come out in the bomb threat investigation.”

District Attorney Ernie Lee said in a telephone interview that his office is still waiting to receive investigators’ reports on the case against Jackson.

“Everything’s supposed to be turned over to me. I have not received it yet,” Lee said on Wednesday. “I’m waiting to get everything.”

He said the case involved an unusual amount of evidence. “That’s not a typical case,” Lee said.

Lee later issued an e-mail statement: “This office is prosecuting the matter involving Gerald Jackson and the alleged bomb threats. Pursuant to that prosecution, this office is by statute required to obtain all evidence, reports, statements, recordings, and notes of law enforcement related to that investigation. I have also sent a letter to the Sheriff’s Office requesting that all evidence, reports, recordings, and notes be provided to this office as soon as possible and without delay. The defendant is presumed not guilty at this time unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The second question selected at the GOP candidates’ forum Tuesday at Northside High School asked Miller whether he would release a recording of a conversation he had with Brown about the alleged connection between Miller’s campaign and the bomb threats.

Miller said he was undecided.

The Daily News since has acquired a recording of the conversation. (See related story.)

Miller told the forum audience that the allegations against him were “slanderous.”

Brown responded with comments that Miller’s campaign “has been connected and it is serious.”

On Wednesday, Brown told The Daily News that had the matter not arisen during the forum, he would have said nothing about it. “I would not have mentioned that last night,” he said.

Brown declined to specify a connection between Miller and Jackson, but he said one of his officers had noticed “this young man’s name” on a Facebook page related to Miller or the campaign.

A Facebook page attributed to a Gerald Jackson of Jacksonville shows a five-star “review” of the “Hans Miller for Sheriff” page and an accompanying comment encouraging votes for Miller. One of Jackson’s Facebook friends is Sheriff Ed Brown.

“I have had extensive interviews with (Jackson) and I called Mr. Miller and let him know that was out there,” Brown said. He described his contact with Miller on Friday as a “courtesy call.”

Miller questioned Brown’s motives for raising the matter in their April 11 phone conversation.

“If he really thought that that I was a co-suspect, why would he have called me?” Miller asked. “That is poor investigative procedure. So he knew that it was a lie.”

Miller told Brown in that conversation that he would welcome an investigation, suggesting that federal officials should be contacted.

On Wednesday, he said it is his understanding that the case will go to Lee’s office. “The DA has to tread lightly because they don’t want the (bomb threat) case to get thrown out,” Miller said.

Jackson, 18, of Burgaw Highway was arrested on April 7. He faces 19 charges of filing a false bomb threat to a public building, according to court documents.

A woman contacted by telephone by The Daily News on Wednesday confirmed she is Jackson’s mother but declined to give her name.

She said investigators have not told her anything about her son’s case.

“I don’t really know what’s going on,” she said. “My son is stuck in jail and I’m trying to get him out.”

Lee Britt was appointed as Jackson’s attorney on April 8, according to court documents.

Britt was not available for comment Wednesday, according to a woman who answered the phone at a law firm listed in court documents as Britt’s contact.

Editor's note: The recording of the conversation is available at the bottom of this article or by clicking here.

Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown has threatened to tie his opponent in the May 6 Republican primary to the suspect in a series of bomb threats in the area.

For at least a week, Brown has dropped hints that there is a connection between challenger Hans Miller and Gerald Jackson, an 18-year-old Jacksonville man now in the Onslow County Jail facing 19 charges tied to false bomb threats against area schools, businesses and hospitals.

The allegation involving Miller became more public at a Republican Women’s candidate forum on Tuesday night, when Miller confirmed that he had an audio recording of an April 11 conversation between himself and Brown in which the accusation was discussed.

At the forum and in an interview Thursday, Miller denied any involvement with Jackson, saying he does not know the suspect. He said the accusations are “absolutely untrue.”

In the recorded conversation with Miller, Brown indicated that Miller and his campaign were implicated in statements made by Jackson to the sheriff’s investigators. In that conversation, the sheriff repeatedly compares the accusation against Miller to accusations made against Brown on a local radio talk show. “You’ve made your point, and I’ll make my point,” Brown said.

Brown has been vague about whether he believes the connection is to Miller personally or to someone in Miller’s campaign.

The sheriff also has not been consistent on whether he believes there was direct contact with Jackson by Miller or by people involved in Miller’s campaign or whether issues raised in the ongoing sheriff’s race were motivation for the threats.

While Brown has indicated for several days that there is an active investigation of Miller or his campaign, on Wednesday afternoon he seemed to back off such a probe.

“There has not been an investigation involving Miller,” he said. “I figured this would come out in the bomb threat investigation.”

District Attorney Ernie Lee said in a telephone interview that his office is still waiting to receive investigators’ reports on the case against Jackson.

“Everything’s supposed to be turned over to me. I have not received it yet,” Lee said on Wednesday. “I’m waiting to get everything.”

He said the case involved an unusual amount of evidence. “That’s not a typical case,” Lee said.

Lee later issued an e-mail statement: “This office is prosecuting the matter involving Gerald Jackson and the alleged bomb threats. Pursuant to that prosecution, this office is by statute required to obtain all evidence, reports, statements, recordings, and notes of law enforcement related to that investigation. I have also sent a letter to the Sheriff’s Office requesting that all evidence, reports, recordings, and notes be provided to this office as soon as possible and without delay. The defendant is presumed not guilty at this time unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The second question selected at the GOP candidates’ forum Tuesday at Northside High School asked Miller whether he would release a recording of a conversation he had with Brown about the alleged connection between Miller’s campaign and the bomb threats.

Miller said he was undecided.

The Daily News since has acquired a recording of the conversation. (See related story.)

Miller told the forum audience that the allegations against him were “slanderous.”

Brown responded with comments that Miller’s campaign “has been connected and it is serious.”

On Wednesday, Brown told The Daily News that had the matter not arisen during the forum, he would have said nothing about it. “I would not have mentioned that last night,” he said.

Brown declined to specify a connection between Miller and Jackson, but he said one of his officers had noticed “this young man’s name” on a Facebook page related to Miller or the campaign.

A Facebook page attributed to a Gerald Jackson of Jacksonville shows a five-star “review” of the “Hans Miller for Sheriff” page and an accompanying comment encouraging votes for Miller. One of Jackson’s Facebook friends is Sheriff Ed Brown.

“I have had extensive interviews with (Jackson) and I called Mr. Miller and let him know that was out there,” Brown said. He described his contact with Miller on Friday as a “courtesy call.”

Miller questioned Brown’s motives for raising the matter in their April 11 phone conversation.

“If he really thought that that I was a co-suspect, why would he have called me?” Miller asked. “That is poor investigative procedure. So he knew that it was a lie.”

Miller told Brown in that conversation that he would welcome an investigation, suggesting that federal officials should be contacted.

On Wednesday, he said it is his understanding that the case will go to Lee’s office. “The DA has to tread lightly because they don’t want the (bomb threat) case to get thrown out,” Miller said.

Jackson, 18, of Burgaw Highway was arrested on April 7. He faces 19 charges of filing a false bomb threat to a public building, according to court documents.

A woman contacted by telephone by The Daily News on Wednesday confirmed she is Jackson’s mother but declined to give her name.

She said investigators have not told her anything about her son’s case.

“I don’t really know what’s going on,” she said. “My son is stuck in jail and I’m trying to get him out.”

Lee Britt was appointed as Jackson’s attorney on April 8, according to court documents.

Britt was not available for comment Wednesday, according to a woman who answered the phone at a law firm listed in court documents as Britt’s contact.